Monday, September 5, 2016

Shingles Update, part II - The Conclusion

WebMD, or one of those medical websites (I forget which one exactly) stated singles usually lasts 3-5 weeks. My shingles pain lasted just about exactly five weeks. Granted, it's impossible to pinpoint the day it fully resolved because it faded slowly. But by about the end of the 5th week, I could no longer detect any pain.

It's not surprising that it lasted the full 5 weeks. On one hand, I did most things right to treat it. I took a week's worth of Valtrex (starting about 5 days after the symptoms began - not ideal - but still helpful) and at least 1500 mg, and sometimes 3000mg, of L-Lysine for most of the 5 weeks. On the other hand, my immune system is a joke. So five weeks seems about right.

Unfortunately, there is still visible evidence of the shingles rash. It's not noticeable from a distance, but up close, you can see pinpoint spots that look like age spots, i.e. no pigmentation.

Frankly, if only the pinpoint age spots remain, I will still consider myself lucky. When I read that, for some people, the pain of singles never goes away, and nobody knows why, I became slightly worried that this could happen to me. With all my neuro-immune deficiencies, it wouldn't be surprising if my case of shingles was more complicated than a typical case. Alas, I avoided that nightmare.
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My doctor (Dr. M) says she recommends, for people with herpes family virus infections, L-Lysine at 1500 mg per day just for maintenance, and doubling that dosage to (1 gram, 3x per day) when there is an active infection. I am considering continuing with the L-Lysine as at the maintenance dose. I first have to research long-term safety of L-Lysine.
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If I ever needed further confirmation that my case of ME involves neurological inflammation (I didn't), this bout with singles proved it. My doctor said that the shingles virus lives and reactivates on nerves attached to the spine--essentially the virus attacks nerves. Over the last 5 weeks with shingles, whenever I had a general increase in inflammation--a worsening of my ME symptoms--the shingles would get significantly worse too. The pattern was clear. This reinforced what I already knew, that "crashes" are, at least in part, increases in neurological inflammation.

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DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor and have no medical training. Nothing in this blog should be construed as medical advice. This blog simply recounts my personal experiences and, at times, summarizes research from other sources. I can't verify the accuracy of these other sources. Never rely on anything you read here in making your own medical decisions. Always consult a doctor.

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What is Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)?

The clinical definition of ME is complicated, and the symptoms are many. It is a "multi-system disorder" that affects a person's immune system, hormones, nervous system, and energy (at the cellular level). I prefer to explain, simply, that it feels like I have the flu. Every single day. This is an oversimplification, but it's often the best way to explain it to a healthy person.

About Me

I came down with ME in June, 2011. I was diagnosed six months later. This blog tracks my progress; my successes and failures along the path to (hopefully) sustained remission.
I live with my wife and two young daughters in Southern California.